Nelson Frazier Jr., WWE's Viscera and Mabel, dies at 42

On Tuesday night, Nelson Frazier Jr., better known as Mabel and Viscera, died after a reported heart attack at the age of 42.

Frazier first truly entered the public eye in 1993 when he joined WWF as Mabel, of the tag team Men on a Mission. They held the tag titles in 1994, for just two days. After a heel turn, he won the 1995 King of the Ring tournament, and as most winners do, he rebranded himself as King Mabel, with his partner becoming Sir Mo. He then continued in the WWF through 1996, when he left for two years.

In 1999, he made a return to the WWF and started the role which he may be known best as. He entered the '99 Royal Rumble as Mabel, but midway through the match he was taken from the ring and “abducted” by the Undertaker's Ministry of Darkness. The next night, he reappeared as the creepy Viscera, complete with all-white contact lenses and a bleached mohawk.

He was the enforcer for the Ministry, literally squashing those who came up against the Undertaker. After the Ministry broke up, he floundered in the low-card for a bit, but never could get momentum going and then again left the company.

His third run with the WWF started with him, again, as Viscera. He was, in storyline, brought in by JBL to feud against the Undertaker. After that, he again struggled to catch on until he went through yet another character change. After Trish Status asked him to help her with her struggles against Lita and Kane, Viscera started coming on to her. This started his gimmick of the “World's Largest Love Machine”, which in the ring featured two of the more ludicrously named moves: the “Sex Drive” and the “Visagra”. One notable storyline was when he started a relationship with Lillian Garcia, before leaving her at the altar when the Godfather intervened.

Finally, after that ran his course, Frazier had one last run in WWE's version of ECW as Big Daddy V. While that was probably most known for his outfit, he also had some monster feuds against the likes of Kane and The Boogeyman. After he was once again released, reportedly due to his weight issues, he continued wrestling at independent shows as all of his various characters.

When the news of his death came out, many wrestlers took to twitter to post their memories of Frazier. What hit me was just how many wrestlers, from various eras, not only seemed to respect Frazier, but truly considered him their friend. Wrestlers ranging from Kevin Nash to Tommy Dreamer to MVP to now-ESPN's Todd Grisham all said what a great person he was, and specifically that he was a friend. Chris Masters even said he was the most genuine person in the business.

What I always appreciated about Frazier was his commitment to his character. Whether it was scaring children as Viscera, or truly getting into the World's Largest Love Machine, it seemed that he always put his most into it. As ludicrous as the latter gimmick was, he truly seemed to enjoy every minute he was on screen in that role. While he was never at the top of his card, that commitment, as much as his size, will make sure that he's remembered by anyone who ever saw him in the ring.